Barcelona vs Leganes

There’s no margin for error in a lopsided La Liga meeting between table-topping Barcelona and bottom-half Leganes at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Barcelona took a significant step toward securing an automatic berth in the Champions League round of 16 with a goal-glutted 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund during midweek, responding kindly to last weekend’s gut-wrenching 2-2 draw at Real Betis. Barca’s domestic form has been on a steady decline following a memorable start under Hansi Flick, with ‘Los Blaugranas’ picking up just one victory across their last five league outings (D2, L2), allowing Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to come within striking distance pre-round. The impending home return should put Barcelona fans’ fears at ease, even though a dismal 2-1 defeat to Las Palmas last time out knocked Flick’s team from a flawless five-game home league start (W5). Adding to this sentiment, they’ve got the better of Leganes in all four top-flight H2Hs at home this century, winning the last three via a two-goal margin.

In the meantime, Leganes’ form curve has hit a downward trajectory since a 1-0 home win against Sevilla in early November, as they’ve since picked up just one point from three league games, suffering identical 3-0 defeats at the hands of Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in that sequence. The visitors must punch above their weight to get back on track, but that’s a pipe dream, considering their lackluster away league record this season (D5, L3). Given the circumstances, another draw would be a miracle, even though they’ve found the back of the net on their last five La Liga travels. Borja Jimenez’s men have been prone to second-half collapses, conceding a clear-cut 77% of their away league goals after the halftime interval (10/13).